


A Sunny Batuu Day

by StarryWrites



Series: A Study in Stardust [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Batuu, Established Relationship, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Post-Battle of Scarif, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryWrites/pseuds/StarryWrites
Summary: "'Til the Spire? 'Til the Spire does what?"Jyn is Jyn. Cassian waxes poetic about it.
Relationships: Cassian Andor & Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso
Series: A Study in Stardust [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016320
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	A Sunny Batuu Day

> _ Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl like a drug _
> 
> _ Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love _
> 
> _ \- The Lumineers, "Ophelia" _
> 
> ***

_ Jyn Erso was beautiful no matter what backdrop she was set against... _

At 0500 hours, she squinted against the harsh fluorescent light of the mess hall, waiting in line for a cup of caff. Jyn shifted her weight listlessly from one foot to the other and back again before bouncing on the balls of her feet for a few moments in an obviously desperate attempt to wake up. She brushed her bangs aside.

Her bangs were always falling in her face. 

As he watched her, Cassian considered his favorite way to tuck those unruly pieces of hair behind her ear. Was it when his fingertips lingered too long on her cheek, coaxing out a gentle smile? Or was it when he let them trail down her neck to her clavicle, making her breath catch in her throat? 

His contemplation was interrupted when their eyes met. Jyn had caught him staring. The corners of her mouth turned up in a coy smile as she chewed on her lower lip. Though she was still struggling through the early morning haze, her eyes were warm and sparkling with stardust. 

_But it was the soft dapple gray fur of a parka hood that highlighted how rosy her cheeks could be._

Cassian's parka. He couldn't remember when she stole it. He was certain he was never getting it back. It looked good on her anyway. The puffy garment was slightly too big for her small frame but not in the awkward, misplaced way the borrowed Imperial uniform had been on Scarif.

As Jyn chatted with Leia in front of their ship she would pull the parka a little tighter, burrow in a little deeper each time a draft blew through the hangar. She seemed...cozy. At home.

If Kaytu had still been with them he would have grumbled at Jyn for dilly-dallying when there was a schedule to keep. Fortunately for her, Cassian was much more patient. Instead he chose to lean against the ship's entryway, waiting for her just inside. 

From where he stood, he couldn't make out their conversation. Their voices were too hushed and both women stood at an angle that obscured his view, rendering him unable to read their lips. Cassian suspected it was gossip shared in confidence - eager gestures punctuated by fits of what could only be giggles was the tell.

Their topic changed quickly as Leia unexpectedly moved to whisper something into her friend's ear. Whatever she said made Jyn turn slightly, flicking her eyes up toward Cassian. For the second time that morning he was caught staring. 

She bit back a smile as a deep blush tinted her cheeks. Another icy draft floated through the hangar, ruffling the fibers around her face as they held each other's gaze.

_ If anyone were to ask him, Cassian would swear that Jyn was made of starlight. _

Their destination was Black Spire on the planet Batuu, a forgotten outpost so deep in the Outer Rim it was almost in Wild Space. If you were looking to disappear, it was the place to go.

Reports indicated it had not yet fallen into the Empire's hands and the Alliance had reason to believe the nearby ruins would make a suitable remote station. It was Jyn and Cassian's mission to check things out and report back. 

She had fallen asleep in the co-pilot's chair not long after entering lightspeed, when she no longer needed to assist. Jyn had draped his parka over her like a blanket, pulling her knees up into the chair. 

The wash of white-blue light danced across her softened features. In sleep, her brow no longer carried the weight of the galaxy on it. She was no longer Sergeant Erso, soldier of the Rebel Alliance, she was just Jyn. 

Cassian reached out instinctively to brush a stray piece of hair out of her face but stopped just centimeters away. He wanted to run a thumb over her soft cheek, across her plush, slightly parted lips, but knew it would be at the cost of waking her. 

He decided to let her sleep a bit longer. They had time to spare. And he was content to just watch the starlight blur by. 

_ Though the sunlight shows the world how beautiful she is... _

"'Til the Spire? 'Til the Spire  _ does what _ ?" 

Stepping out from the shade of the milk stand, Jyn brought up a hand to shield her eyes as she looked at the rocky structures in the distance. 

She continued, "That may be how Batuuans say "goodbye" but does it have to sound so ominous?" 

Cassian could only chuckle and shake his head. "Try not to think about it too much." 

Clearly unsatisfied with that answer, Jyn turned her attention back to the cold cup of blue milk. She took a sip and then held the already sweating cup to her forehead. A drop of condensation plopped onto her nose.

The heat of Batuu's three suns was undeniably oppressive as they worked their way through the outpost's unshaded streets, surveying the area. Winding paths led them past shops and garages and multiple food vendors into the heart of the marketplace. 

With each sweep of their surroundings something about Jyn would catch his eye - the bits of amber tones in her hair glimmering in the sun, the fine curls damply clinging to the nape of her neck, the tips of her ears blistering with a growing sunburn. 

His fingers itched to pick apart her carefully pinned bun and tangle in her hair.

_ It's in the shadows where she shines the brightest... _

A wooden stormtrooper doll peeked out from the top of Jyn's bag. It bounced a little with each footfall as they exited the canopied market.

Cassian wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of a rebel with an Imperial toy or ask her why she - a grown woman - would shoplift that of all things. He did neither, instead choosing to just observe Jyn as they slipped through the crowd. 

She caught him out of the corner of her eye and raised an eyebrow. 

He pressed closer to her, placing a hand on the small of her back and bending to whisper, "I thought your criminal days were behind you?" 

"We're rebels aren't we," she shot back, a dangerous smile creeping into the corners of her mouth. "What's a little rebellion now and then?" 

"But really, Jyn? A toy?" 

She huffed, throwing her nose in the air. "I had one like this when I was a kid. Poor Stormy never made it off Lah'mu…" 

He smiled at her sentimentality. She elbowed him in the side, hiding her embarrassment. 

"I thought I'd bring back something for Shara, now that she's got a womp rat on the way." 

"I can't believe you're corrupting someone else's kid."

She flashed him her best shit-eating grin. 

_ And at night she's the only thing he wants to gaze upon. _

"It's so hot here," Jyn whined, leaning out of the small window, trying to catch a breeze. "Let's just call it a wash and go home."

The view from their third floor room framed Jyn against dark spires and a fiery triple sunset. Cassian wished he could take a holo of the moment, but it would never do her justice anyway.

She was down to a simple white tank top and panties, fanning herself desperately against the stagnant, humid air. Her feet kicked the wall pitifully, unable to reach the floor from her perch over the high sill.

Cassian squeezed in next to her, bare arms rubbing against each other. A lingering trace of floral shampoo wafted off her damp hair as the loose waves skimmed the top of her shoulders.

"You really want to go back to all that iceball?"

"I'm from an iceball, thank you very much."

"What happened to being from Coruscant by way of Lah'mu?" he teased. "You only say you're from Vallt when it's convenient." 

"Kriff off," she laughed. Despite the crass language it was light and musical against the thick air. As the last note faded, they settled against each other in companionable silence watching the suns melt along the horizon.

Cassian could not call what came next a whim or an impulsive decision - the idea had occurred with growing frequency - yet this moment was an unplanned departure from his usual precise, careful way of operating. 

Maybe the heat was getting to his head. Maybe it was the sprawling expanse of wasteland in front of them, a mix of rocky spires muddled together with overgrown foliage that stretched to the very edge of the known galaxy.

He'd seen the very literal end of the world once before, a blinding burst of yellow and orange they'd only narrowly managed to escape. Now, at a more figurative end of the world, everything was bathed in soft pinks and purples as two moons hung in the growing darkness. The thing about the end of the world though - no matter if it's real or implied - is an overwhelming sense of the unknown, of wondering if you've lived your life fully enough. 

He found he couldn't care about anything other than the woman pressed against him. An absolute spitfire, yet at the end of the day, at the end of the world, they are always in each other's arms.

"There's a new officer position that's become available," he remarked casually, breaking the silence. "I think you'd be a good fit for it." 

"Oh? First I've heard of it. What's the position?" 

"How would you feel about becoming Sergeant Andor?" 

"That sounds like a lateral move," she started, turning to face him. "I'm not sure that's… wait, what?" 

She stared at him wide-eyed, hands frozen mid-gesture, mouth slightly agape. He could see the wheels turning in her head as she comprehended his question. 

"Did you just ask me…?" She trailed off and started over. "Do you mean it?"

"All the way." 

_ Her smile is the brightest thing in the galaxy. To Cassian, there is no planet, moon or star as beautiful as Jyn Erso-Andor _ .

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> I've been missing trips to Batuu for blue milk and, in trying to fill the void, this baby just kinda happened. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
